The Reception Of South-Eastern Cultural Patterns: Late Neolithic And Nascent Bronze Age Flint Working In The Vistula Drainage Basin. The Case Of Trough-Like Retouch

This publication constitutes the fruits of National Science Centre research projects (grant no 2011/01/M/HS3/02142 – 6 articles) and the National Programme for the Development of the Humanities (grant no 0108/NPH3/H12/82/2014 – 3 articles). We would like to acknowledge and at the same time express our sincere gratitude for the generosity shown by the following at the Adam Mickiewicz University in making this publication possible: the Dean of the Department of History, Institute of Pre-history and the Eastern Institute.

BIOS-Zeitschrift für Biographieforschung und Oral History. Hrsg. von Werner Fuchs-Heinritz, Albrecht Lehmann und Lutz Niethammer. Erscheint zweimal jährlich im Umfang von ca. 160 Seiten. Leverkusen: Leske+Budrich [...] [Sammelrezension]

Sammelrezension von: 1. BIOS-Zeitschrift für Biographieforschung und Oral History. Hrsg. von Werner Fuchs-Heinritz, Albrecht Lehmann und Lutz Niethammer. Erscheint zweimal jährlich im Umfang von ca. 160 Seiten. Leverkusen: Leske+Budrich. Einzelheft. 2. History and Memory. Studies in Representation of the Past. Ed. at the Aranne School of History, Tel Aviv University. Eds. Saul Friedländer/Dan Diner. Erscheint zweimal jährlich. Frankfurt a. M.: Athenäum. Einzelheft

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND AWARENESS OF LAWS AS DETERMINANTS OF COMPLIANCE WITH PLANT PROTECTION LAW: THE CASE OF PESTICIDE USE PRACTICES IN TANZANIA

Pesticide residues in food and environment pose serious health risks to human beings. Plant protection laws, among other things, regulate misuse of agricultural pesticides. Compliance with such laws consequently reduces risks of pesticide residues in food and the environment. Studies were conducted to assess the compliance with plant protection laws among tomato farmers in Mvomero District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania. Compliance was assessed by examining pesticide use practices that are regulated by the Tanzanian Plant Protection Act (PPA) of 1997. A total of 91 tomato farmers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Purposive sampling was used in selecting at least 30 respondent farmers from each of the three villages of Msufini, Mlali and Doma in Mvomero District, Morogoro Region. Simple Random Sampling was used to obtain respondents from the sampling frame. Individual and social factors were examined on how they could affect pesticide use practices regulated by the law. Descriptive statistics, mainly frequency, were used to analyze the data while associations between variables were determined using Chi-Square and logistic regression model. The results showed that respondents were generally aware of the existence of laws on agriculture, environment and consumer health, although none of them could name a specific Act. The results revealed further that 94.5% of the farmers read instructions on the pesticides label. However, only 21% used the correct doses of pesticides, 40.7% stored pesticides in special stores, 68.1% used protective gear, while 94.5% always read instructions on the label before using a pesticide product. Training influenced the application rate of pesticide (p < 0.001) while awareness of agricultural laws significantly influenced farmers’ tendency to read information on the labels (p < 0.001). The results showed further that education significantly influenced the use of protective gears by farmers (p = 0.042). Education also significantly affected the manner in which farmers stored pesticide-applying equipment (p = 0.024). Furthermore, farmers’ awareness of environmental laws significantly (p = 0.03) affected farmers’ disposal of empty pesticide containers. Results of this study suggest the need for express provisions on safe use and handling of pesticides and related offences in the Act, and that compliance should be achieved through education rather than coercion. Results also suggest establishment of pesticide disposal mechanisms and structures to reduce unsafe disposal of pesticide containers. It is recommended that farmers should be educated and trained on proper use of pesticides. Farmers’ awareness on laws affecting food, environment and agriculture should be improved.

False identification of other microorganisms as Staphylococcus aureus in Southern Nigeria

Purpose: Staphylococcus aureus is the causative agent of many infections and the advent MRSA has drawn much attention to it. However, some organisms have been noted to be wrongly identified as S. aureus through phenotypic identifications leading to wrong treatment of infections. This study is therefore undertaken to evaluate the rate of false identification of other organisms as S. aureus in Southern Nigeria. Methods: 507 microorganisms which have been previously identified as S. aureus in 8 States in Southern Nigeria through characteristic morphology on blood agar, Gram staining, growth and fermentation on Mannitol Salt Agar and coagulase formation were collected. All the isolates were identified in this study through sequencing of 16S rRNA and detection of spa gene. The percentages of true and false identities were determined. Results: Of the 507 isolates previously identified as S. aureus, only 54 (11 %) were confirmed as S. aureus while the rest were coagulase negative Staphylococci (85 % misidentification rate), Bacillus sp. (12 % misidentification rate), and Brevibacterium sp. (3 % misidentification rate). Conclusion: A high rate of false positive identification of S. aureus which could lead to the misuse of antibiotics in emergency situation has been identified in this study. The use of standard methods for the identification of S. aureus at all times is highly recommended.

Parental views of antibiotic use in children with upper respiratory tract infections in Jordan

Purpose: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of parents towards antibiotics use for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in Jordan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at 10 private outpatients’ pediatric clinics across Amman-Jordan from September to December 2013. During the study period, 1329 parents of young children who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate were interviewed, and completed a validated structured questionnaire. Results: A large proportion of parents (903, 68 %) believed that weather change was the main cause of acute URTIs in their children. Although 1098 (82.8 %) of parents were aware that the recurrent use of antibiotics leads to a decrease in effectiveness due to bacterial resistance, 859 (64.6 %) of the respondents reported that they would give antibiotics without prescription. Fathers (135, 40.2 %), were significantly more aware that URTIs follow its natural course without antibiotic administration compared to mothers (N = 327, 32.9 %), respectively (p = 0.005). Conclusion: There is a lack of adequate parental knowledge concerning the use and misuse of antibiotics in children in Jordan. National publicity campaign should be mounted to improve awareness. Furthermore, existing laws should be enforced to prevent parents from purchasing antibiotics over-thecounter (OTC).

The impossible anamesis. Memory versus history in Hubert Aquin’s « Blackout »

Soon after joining the Canadian Confederation in 1867, the province of Quebec adopted the phrase « Je me souviens » ("As I recall") as its "national" motto, although many Québécois do not remember today what they were supposed to memorize, as collective subject, when their government voted this motion. My thesis is that contrary to other countries which have a strong sense of history based on a secular tradition, this process was more complicated in Quebec — as if a collective memory loss lied at the heart of it's history. Through a rereading of Hubert Aquin's cult novel, Trou de mémoire (in its English translation Blackout), first published in 1968, I try to illustrate this paradox and to emphasize the heuristic functions of memory blanks, gaps and lapses in certain postmodern narratives, after the historical breakdown of "the great narratives" (Lyotard). In this perspective, the example of Quebec, through the voice of one of its more gifted yet controversial novelist, can be seen as emblematic of what happens when the mnemonic impossibility of rewriting history opens up new possibilities for writing fiction.

A Critique of the Representation of Violence in American Literature:

The purpose of this thesis was to draw new insights on Thomas Berger’s classic American novel, Little Big Man, and his representation of fictional violence that is a substantial aspect of any text on the Indian Wars and “Custer’s Last Stand”. History’s major world wars led to shifts in the political climate and a noted change in the way that violence was represented in the arts. Historical, fictional, and cinematic treatments of “Custer’s Last Stand” and violence were each considered in relation to the text. Berger's version of the famed story is a revision of history that shows the protagonist as a dual-member of two violent societies. The thesis concluded that Berger’s updated American legends and unique “white renegade” character led to a representation of violence that spoke to the current state of affairs in 1964 when the world was becoming much more hostile and chaotic place.

Spheres of Influence: A Few Reflections on the Concept

In the frame of the Ukrainian crisis the question of spheres of influence has returned to political discourse. This may be an awkward subject, but what if we only deny the existence of such power constellations as spheres of influence? Do spheres of influence exist, or are they relics of history, and mere rhetoric? And if they exist, where can we find them? The hypothesis in this article is that instead of being a tangible reality, spheres of influence are obscure and contested political constructions, which nevertheless can have an impact on political behaviour. To demonstrate this, the article will first introduce a few examples of the current use of the concept. Secondly, a few remarks follow concerning the different IR schools of thought, and conceptual history as a method. Next, the article turns to discussing a few dictionaries and the empirical material for the present inquiry, which consists of recent textbooks, i.e. the current political science curriculum in one particular university, at the University of Tampere, Finland. More empirical cases deal with the division of Africa, the post-WWII situation, and the Hungarian revolution of 1956.

Prevalence and characteristics of spontaneous tinnitus in 11-year-old children

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of spontaneous tinnitus in 11-year-old children. DESIGN: A prospective UK population-based study. STUDY SAMPLE: A total of 7092 children from the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children (ALSPAC) who attended the hearing session at age 11 years and answered questions about tinnitus. RESULTS: We estimated the prevalence of any spontaneous tinnitus as 28.1% (95% CI 27.1, 29.2%), and the prevalence of 'clinically significant' tinnitus as 3.1% (95% CI 2.7, 3.5%). Children were less likely to have clinically significant tinnitus if the tinnitus was 'soft' rather than 'loud' and if continuous rather than intermittent. Clinical significance was more likely if the tinnitus occurred more than once a week. Neither pitch nor length of history were important determinants of clinical significance. Small increases in mean hearing threshold (of up to 2.3 dB HL) were associated with clinically significant tinnitus. CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of any tinnitus in 11-year-old children appears high, the small proportion in which this was found to be clinically significant implies that this does not necessarily indicate a large unmet clinical demand. We would expect approximately one child per class of 30 to have clinically significant tinnitus which is, by definition, problematic.

Paradigms lost:integrating history and organization studies

This article reviews recent attempts at mapping research paradigms in Management and Organizational History and argues that the old distinctions between supplementarist, integrationist, and reorientationist approaches have been superseded by attempts at integrating historical research in organization studies. A typology of these integrationist approaches differentiates between pluralist and unitary integration, as well as between models based on either historical theory or organization theory. Each has distinct weaknesses and strengths, but essentially all limit their integration of historical research paradigms to only a few. As a result, there is a danger that history might become reduced to a methodology, an empirical endeavor, narrative representations, or indeed be considered the subject of research rather than a research approach in its own right. I argue that all of these present an impoverished picture of the rich research traditions available in the discipline of history, which has unique insights and approaches to offer to the study of organizations.

Organizations in time:history, theory, methods

Book review: Organizations in Time, edited by R Daniel Wadhwani and Marcelo Bucheli, Oxford University Press, 2014. The title of this edited volume is slightly misleading, as its various contributions explore the potential for more historical analysis in organization studies rather than addressing issues associated with time and organizing. Hopefully this will not distract from the important achievement of this volume—important especially for business historians—in further expanding and integrating business history into management and organization studies. The various contributions, elegantly tied together by R. Daniel Wadhwani and Marcelo Bucheli in their substantial introduction (which, by the way, presents a significant contribution in its own right), opens up new sets of questions, especially in terms of future methodological and theoretical developments in the field. This book also reflects the changing institutional location of business historians, who increasingly make their careers in business schools rather than history departments, especially in Europe, reopening old questions of history as a social science. There have been several calls to teach more history in business education, such as the Carnegie Foundation report (2011) that found undergraduate business education too narrow in focus and highlighted the need to integrate more liberal arts teaching into the curriculum. However, in the contemporary research-driven environment of business and management schools, historical understanding is unlikely to permeate the curriculum if historical analysis cannot first deliver significant theoretical contributions. This is the central theme around which this edited volume revolves, and it marks a milestone in this ongoing debate. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I should add that even though I did not contribute to this volume, I have coauthored with several of its contributors and view this book as central to my current research practice.)

The impossible anamesis. Memory versus history in Hubert Aquin’s « Blackout »

Soon after joining the Canadian Confederation in 1867, the province of Quebec adopted the phrase « Je me souviens » ("As I recall") as its "national" motto, although many Québécois do not remember today what they were supposed to memorize, as collective subject, when their government voted this motion. My thesis is that contrary to other countries which have a strong sense of history based on a secular tradition, this process was more complicated in Quebec — as if a collective memory loss lied at the heart of it's history. Through a rereading of Hubert Aquin's cult novel, Trou de mémoire (in its English translation Blackout), first published in 1968, I try to illustrate this paradox and to emphasize the heuristic functions of memory blanks, gaps and lapses in certain postmodern narratives, after the historical breakdown of "the great narratives" (Lyotard). In this perspective, the example of Quebec, through the voice of one of its more gifted yet controversial novelist, can be seen as emblematic of what happens when the mnemonic impossibility of rewriting history opens up new possibilities for writing fiction.

Negotiating national identity on film: competing readings of Zhang Yimou’s 'Hero'

How are national identities transformed? If they are mostly narratives of belonging to a community of history and destiny to which people subscribe, those boundary-making procedures that constitute the political field by instituting differences can provide a tentative answer to this question. This paper is concerned with one such cultural practice, namely film-viewing. Globalisation, a boundary-blurring practice, has been the backdrop against which transformations in national identity are often discussed, either bemoaned as cultural imperialism or celebrated as ongoing hybridisation. This piece of research took Zhang Yimou’s controversial film Hero as a point of departure, and asked groups of Chinese audiences how they understood the Chinese identity it conveys. Although it is still a work in progress, provisional results are reported below.

The Proceedings of the South Carolina Historical Association

Annually, the association publishes a journal, The Proceedings, which consists of papers presented at the annual meeting. Robert C. Winthrop: Conservative Opponent of Lincoln by Robert J. Moore The New Cambridge Modern History: A Comment by John M. Roberts South Carolina Ratifies the Federal Constitution by George C. Rogers, Jr. Tillman and the South Carolina Dispensary by Jack E. Tuttle The Place of History in a Liberal Arts Curriculum by Charles S. Davis

The Proceedings of the South Carolina Historical Association

Annually, the association publishes a journal, The Proceedings, which consists of papers presented at the annual meeting. Robert C. Winthrop: Conservative Opponent of Lincoln by Robert J. Moore The New Cambridge Modern History: A Comment by John M. Roberts South Carolina Ratifies the Federal Constitution by George C. Rogers, Jr. Tillman and the South Carolina Dispensary by Jack E. Tuttle The Place of History in a Liberal Arts Curriculum by Charles S. Davis